The number of hospital patients waiting for support from Powys County Council before they can return home has been cut by a third after extra social care staff were recruited.
A £1.3 million Pathways of Care Transformation Grant awarded by Welsh Government has been used to fund additional social workers, occupational therapists and enablement assessors.
A year ago there were 60 Powys patients waiting for social care to be provided before they could leave community hospitals in the county, or larger district general hospitals in England – Shrewsbury, Telford and Hereford. Now the figure is down to 38.
The grant has been used to strengthen discharge co-ordination with the many health bodies serving Powys patients, and to increase social care assessment and home care capacity.
“Reducing social care delays at this time of year is a significant achievement and testament to the dedication of our front-line teams and the provision of extra funding by Welsh Government,” said Councillor Pete Roberts, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Caring Powys.
“We will continue to build on this progress to ensure patients receive timely, co-ordinated and personalised care and support.”
The Pathways of Care Transformation Grant has seen £30 million allocated to county councils across Wales to spend on community-based social care during the current financial year.
The Welsh Government asked that Powys spends its share on reducing the number of people waiting for:
- Social worker allocation
- Completion of assessment by social care
- The start of a new community care package funded by social care
- A reablement community care package
